Woolly Bear Caterpillar (Isabella Tiger Moth larva) (Pyrrharctia isabella)
I photographed this woolly bear caterpillar on September 18, 2011 as it crawled down the road up back of the house. I had seen a couple of others here and there and they all looked like this: a broad red-brown stripe between two short black stripes. I knew immediately that we would have a mile winter. How? Here is a quote from the Old Farmer's Almanac:
According to legend, the wider that middle brown section is (i.e., the more brown segments there are), the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter.
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